Man recovers working iPhone 4 from bottom of Pennsylvania lake

Thanks to an unusual set of circumstances, a Pennsylvania man is reportedly having a lost iPhone 4 returned to him in working condition, despite losing it at the bottom of a lake in March 2015.

Michael Guntrum dropped the iPhone into an ice fishing hole in Kyle Lake after it slipped off his lap, BuzzFeed News said. The lake was drained in Sept. 2015 because of structural issues with its dam — this October, however, Daniel Kalgren discovered the phone with his metal detector as he was hunting for objects people might have dropped out of boats.

The phone was said to be buried under 6 inches of mud and clay, but protected by a rugged Otterbox case. Kalgren took the unit home, where he cleaned it off and put it in rice. To his surprise, it successfully turned on two days later.

Kalgren contacted Guntrum using a number on the phone, and is currently arranging to mail it to him. Guntrum said he plans to get the phone repaired so his mother can have a smartphone.

An Apple spokesperson claimed that the company often hears customer stories about iPhones surviving unusual conditions.

The revival of Guntrum's iPhone 4 is all the more unusual because the iPhone 7, released just this September, is only Apple's first model to be marketed as water-resistant. That suggests that the Otterbox case was entirely responsible for safeguarding Guntrum's device.

21 Comments

karolis 2 comments · 15 Years

About 8 years ago

Those 4's are kinda indestructible. I dropped mine on concrete and other surfaces handful of times and not a single scratch on screen, only a little ones on the edges. Not long ago I bought iPhone 5s, dropped it once from 50 cm (~20 in) height on wooden table and phone became completely unrepairable due to some motherboard issue.

mjtomlin 2690 comments · 20 Years

A friend of mine was in a car accident and ended up in the hospital for a couple of weeks. After he got out he went to clean out his car and found his iPhone 4 frozen in a puddle of ice on the floor... He let it thaw and was surprised that the phone still worked. It did not have a case on it. How it survived I have no idea? But it did.

wood1208 2938 comments · 10 Years

I believe it because my iphone 4 took two baths including one in 10 ft pond. Retrieved it fast, turned it off, use vacuum and hair dryer to dry it off water/moisture from inside and when turned it back on. It was freaking alive..Used year and half before upgrading to 5..

quadra 610 6685 comments · 16 Years

karolis said:

Those 4's are kinda indestructible. I dropped mine on concrete and other surfaces handful of times and not a single scratch on screen, only a little ones on the edges. Not long ago I bought iPhone 5s, dropped it once from 50 cm (~20 in) height on wooden table and phone became completely unrepairable due to some motherboard issue.

"The phone was said to be buried under 6 inches of mud and clay, but protected by a rugged Otterbox case."

The revival of Guntrum's iPhone 4 is all the more unusual because the iPhone 7, released just this September, is only Apple's first model to be marketed as water-resistant. ***That suggests that the Otterbox case was entirely responsible for safeguarding Guntrum's device.***

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The 4 probably is a more rugged than the 5, but stick that 5 in the right case, and it too will probably survive the elements.

Not saying you're wrong (you're right about the 5 being a little more fragile), but just adding to your post.

longpath 401 comments · 20 Years

I suspect the Cold played a part by causing the battery to lose charge rapidly. Absent power, a short circuit from water infiltration should be harmless.